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D. Expand the Programme's Sphere of Influence through Various Channels
The three programmes use public awareness campaigns, meetings, news reports, expert lectures, system operations and far-reaching ICT to expand their impact. This boosts the confidence of the participating groups and also allows other groups to participate in and benefit from the programmes. This practice plays an important role in the long term development of the programmes.
For example, in Case 1, leaders from the Central Committee and related central departments as well as experts on various topics are regularly invited to give reports, which are broadcasted through SinoSat-1. Case 2 provides a system of flexible and efficient rural technology training through five projects (“Green Certificate Project”, “Cross-Century Young Farmers Technology Training Project”, “New Generation Farmers Entrepreneurship Cultivation Project”, “Employment Training Project for the Transfer of Surplus Rural Labor Force”, “Agricultural Distance Training Project”) which involve the participation of governments at all levels, related institutions and the general public. Such broad participation expands the programme 's influence, thus accelerating technical training for new-generation farmers. The guiding objective of Case 3 is to train technical and management professionals who can remain and exert influence in rural areas. It is operated through the national RTVU system with advanced technical support and services, involving over 1000 tutorial centers in 40 provinces and municipalities with nearly 10000 rural graduates.
E. Conduct the Programmes Using a Variety of Strategies and Activities
During the implementation process, the three programmes took into account expert consultation, assessment, participant feedback and recommendations from local governments or institutions to assess actual conditions, and dynamically adjusted the application of ICT, training methods and activities, etc. accordingly. Thus, the programmes provided real assistance in improving the local farmers’ living standards, upgrading practical operation skills, reducing anxiety and obstacles, and enhancing their learning ability. Many experiences show that only by adopting a variety of strategies and designing different activities to meet practical needs, and by strengthening the mutual understanding and trust between the implementing body and local governments can the objectives of the programme be fully achieved.
For example, Case 1 provides different types of communication channels, establishes an Internet-based platform, and defines training content. Case 2 interlinks the five major projects and sets up the “Agricultural World” programme. Case 3 adjusts the construction of majors, develops different kinds of learning resources, constructs technology lines, and integrates degree education with training, etc. They all undergo continual adjustment in line with actual conditions and practices as well as accumulated knowledge.
Topic 2：ICT’s Diverse Roles in Rural Adult Education
A. ICT as a Means to Set Up an Information Exchange Network
Case 1 is a typical case of using ICT to set up hardware and software platforms. In this programme, the central government built a special satellite front-end broadcasting platform and provided network deployment schemes to the trial provinces of Hubei, Guangdong and Guizhou. There was a bidding process for hardware infrastructure to deploy receiving stations in all the cities, districts and counties of each province, or deploy a network system covering the entire province in collaboration with China Telecom. Also, the central government built a special national distance education network for rural Party cadres, and each province built corresponding provincial tutorial websites, connecting its information resources with the national satellite front-end broadcasting platform and the national distance education network for rural Party cadres.
Case 2 is implemented through CABTV School and China Liaoyuan School, and makes use of existing ICT hardware infrastructure to construct specialized networks to train new-generation farmers, such as “China Rural Distance Education Network” (www.ngx.net.cn), “Agriculture Online—China Agricultural Network” (http://www.ngxonline.cn), and “China Rural Labor Transfer Training Network” (http://www.nmpx.gov.cn).
Case 3 likewise is implemented through the OUC. With the help of existing IT hardware infrastructure and the RTVU online teaching platform, it constructed the custom “One Village, One College Student” distance education network for the education of rural college students.
The above constructions are equipment and facilities based on ICT, which help farmers to obtain information, including prices and marketing data for agricultural products. They also serve as effective and reasonable communication channels through which farmers can receive training and education. Thus, ICT has become a major means to establish a network for information exchange.
B. ICT as a Tool for Resource Construction and Transmission
ICT is an important tool for the construction of teaching resources. With audio and video equipment, text, images, audio-video editing tools, and courseware production tools, various kinds of multimedia teaching resources can be produced. ICT is also a vital resource transmission tool. Common transmission systems are satellite TV systems, cable television networks, the Internet and dedicated broadband networks.
For example, in Case 1, the central government and trial provinces (autonomous regions) use advanced technologies to construct multimedia teaching resources and build a central database. The front-end broadcasting platform broadcasts educational programmes through satellite TV and transmits resources through satellite TV and the Internet. Each trial province (autonomous region, municipality) is in charge of the construction of a provincial-level database, which is gradually connected and integrated with the central database through Internet technologies. Case 2 mainly transmits multimedia teaching resources through the Internet. Case 3 transmits multimedia teaching resources through digital satellite and the Internet.
C. ICT as the Subject Matter for Learning
For the majority of farmers, ICT remains an important subject of learning. Despite completing the construction of infrastructure and resources, the farmers' limited skills in using ICT are a huge hurdle restricting their learning and development. A large amount of multimedia teaching resources and information is not used effectively. In this age, adult learners in rural areas must increase their own information literacy in order to acquire more knowledge, better use ICT, conveniently access teaching resources and improve their learning ability.
For example, in Case 1, "ICT" is offered as a basic training course in trial provinces like Guangdong to strengthen farmers' technical skills. In Case 2 and Case 3, although "ICT" has not been included as a basic course, it is taught by local educational institutions through face-to-face tutorial.
Regardless of whether the distance learning method is used, ICT should be a major subject of learning in rural education. It has become a key subject for rural adult learners to improve their information literacy and adapt to the needs of life, learning and work in the information era.
D. ICT as a Learning Tool
ICT as a learning tool is an inevitable trend in the digital era. In distance education, ICT learning tools are usually integrated into the online teaching platform. In Case 1, all provinces built their own tutorial centre websites, such as Hope Network in Guizhou (www.gzxw.gov.cn). Through these websites, rural Party cadres can obtain distance tutoring and also communicate with students in other regions. In Case 3, the role of ICT as a learning tool is more prominent. The new distance education network provides participants with a platform for online learning. Trainees can access comprehensive online learning services, and obtain information and receive training using platform learning tools like notes, assignments and resource search. Their “online learning behavior” is also more fully recorded, which helps them reflect on their study, future work and communication.
E. ICT as a Tool for Market Trade
One of the objectives of ICT-supported rural education is to make use of modern methods and vehicles to directly spread modern thinking, advanced culture, science and technology, and market information to the vast rural areas. This dissemination of ideology, technology and information enables farmers to reap the benefits of ICT, improve their information literacy and promote the rapid development of agriculture and rural work. ICT is not only a subject for learning and a learning tool but also a tool for market trade.
“Agriculture Online—China Agricultural Network” in Case 2 is a typical case of using ICT as a tool for agricultural market transactions. The website is a platform for agricultural education and training, promotion of science and technology, and information dissemination. It is designed as a public service platform to promote the exchange of education, training, and scientific research between institutions promoting technology, agricultural enterprises and farmers. It explores new models of agricultural technology services that feature “collaboration between agriculture, science and education; cooperation between industries, schools and academies” to serve agriculture, rural areas and farmers. Currently, the website features real-time updates for a large volume of agricultural reports, market information, and information on agricultural promotion institutions and leading enterprises of agricultural industrialization.